Sitting in the cab, John opened his system interface to check for any updates on the requirements for system upgrades. As he had expected, clicking on the downward arrow next to the task revealed additional tasks on the system panel.
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••Upgrade System•• (Optional)
••Requirement
°Head to Russia ↓✅
°Find and rescue a Flerken
-Map
°Destroy the organisation 'RED'
-Bases destroyed(0/6)
-Map
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The task was to find and rescue a Flerken. John chuckled to himself, wondering whether he could keep the Flerken as a pet after rescuing it. He clicked on the "Map" button to see if there were any clues or leads provided by the system.
As John clicked on the 'Map' button, a holographic map appeared in front of his face. There was a red mark on the map indicating the location of the Flerkin. Besides the red mark, the name of the place was written, just like a GPS.
'A experiment laboratory,' John wondered as he read the name of the place.
John decided to zoom in on the map to get a better look at the surrounding area. As he did, he noticed that the laboratory was located in a remote area, surrounded by dense forests and mountains. It seemed like a secluded and secure location, which made sense considering the value of the Flerken.
'Could it be Goose? No according the bits of what I know, it should be with Nick Fury at this time, John thought to himself. Goose was a Flerken that he had heard about, a cat-like creature with tentacles and the ability to lay eggs that could devour anything. But he knew he couldn't jump to conclusions just yet.
John pondered his options as he stared at the map. It seemed like a daunting task to rescue the Flerken without any further information, but he had to do it, that is if want to upgrade the system.
This was the thing that John liked most about his system. It didn't give him any task or mission, except the task of upgrade. Moroeover there were no penalties in case he failed this task and neither was the task compulsory, so if John wished, he could abandon it midway if he wanted to.
It was not like the slave systems of the other protagonists which he had read in the fictions and novels, where they were forced to do what the system told them and if they didn't, they would have to suffer in some sort of way.
John felt grateful for this freedom, though at the same time, it also added a layer of complexity to his decision-making process. Without any penalties or consequences for failure, he had to rely solely on his own judgment and motivation. He had the ability to control his own life and that was what mattered to John.
John shifted his attention to the last task, which was to destroy the organization, "RED". There was also a 'Map' button next to this task.
As John accessed the map, it expanded on his interface, revealing various locations across Russia. Each location had a marker indicating a base of the RED organization. However, the map also indicated that there were six bases in total, and at the moment, none of them had been destroyed.
Moreover the information of the location of the bases was far more precise than what Tony or SHIELD could provide.
Also John had not yet wore the watch provided to him by Tony and hadn't accessed Jarvis yet. He decided to wear it when he would go destroy the bases of 'RED'.
John closed the system interface as the cab approached his destination. He paid the driver and stepped out onto the bustling streets of Russia. With new objectives set before him, he took a deep breath, ready to embark on this dangerous mission to find and rescue a Flerken and bring down the organization known as RED.
The cab driver had dropped him near one of the popular restaurant close to the airport.
John was hungry, he wanted to eat something tasty. He hadn't eating anything on the plane and he hadn't eaten anything since the fight of Tony with Ivan Vanko.
John looked at the sign of the restaurant from outside which read "Traditional Russian Cuisine" and knew that's exactly what he was craving. Yeah, it was written in English and most of the visitors were the people coming from outside of the Russia.
As he entered the restaurant, he was enveloped in the warm, cozy atmosphere. The restaurant had two floors and the walls were adorned with vintage photographs of the city. The aroma of freshly baked bread and hearty stews wafted through the air, enticing his senses.
John made his way to the hostess stand, where an elderly woman greeted him with a warm smile. She spoke in broken English, but John could still understand her. She led him to a table near the window on the second floor and handed him a menu.
Seated at a table by the window, John glanced through the menu, his mouth watering at the descriptions of dishes like borscht, pelmeni, and stroganoff. After careful deliberation, he decided to start with a bowl of borscht. He placed his order and leaned back in his chair, taking in the ambiance of the restaurant.
No, he had not been to Russia before; it was just that in his past life, he had seen a lot of YouTube videos where people would visit different countries and eat different foods. He could not afford such luxuries, so he had to satisfy his hunger by watching those videos and making do with whatever food he could manage.
The waitress brought over a basket of warm, crusty bread, and John tore off a piece, relishing the taste. Moments later, a steaming bowl of borscht was placed in front of him, its vibrant red color and rich aroma promising an explosion of flavors.
As he finished his borscht, John once again activated the Observation Haki and sensed the three people from earlier. Natasha and Hawkeye were sitting below, while Wanda was sitting on the same floor as him, a few tables away.
'It's not a coincidence. Wanda is definitely following me,' John concluded, wondering where her brother was.